Do popular joint health supplements with ingredients such as glucosamine, chondroitin, Boswellia, and MSM really work to relieve pain or slow the progression of osteoarthritis? And, with so many to choose from, which supplements are best? To find out, ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, recently tested 30 popular joint supplements for people and six supplements for pets to see whether they contained their claimed amounts of key ingredients without contaminants and would disintegrate properly.
 
Twenty-seven percent of people who take multiple dietary supplements take a joint health supplement, according to the latest ConsumerLab.com consumer survey.
 
Among the 16 products for people which ConsumerLab.com selected and tested, most contained what they claimed, as did 14 additional products tested through CL’s voluntary Quality Certification Program. However, one product contained just 50.4% of the Boswellia promised on the label, based on its content of boswellic acids. Other products listed a dose far smaller than what has been shown to work, or hid amounts of important ingredients within “proprietary blends.” Products Approved for Quality in the tests were then compared on price to show which offer the best value.
 
Among the four products for dogs and cats which ConsumerLab.com selected and tested, only one met quality standards. A product which claimed to contain chondroitin was found to contain none, while another was found to contain only 8% of its listed amount. A third product was contaminated with arsenic, according to CL. Two additional pet products which were tested through CL’s voluntary Quality Certification Program met quality standards and were Approved for Quality.
 
ConsumerLab.com’s new Review of Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and Boswellia Supplements for Joint Health (for people) is available online and includes results for the following products: Andrew Lessman Procaps Glucosamine with Chondroitin, Cosamin DS, CVS/Pharmacy Glucosamine Chondroitin, DEVA Glucosamine, Doctor’s BEST Best MSM 1500, DONA Crystalline Glucosamine Sulfate, Dr. Whitaker TriComfort Essentials, Elations Healthier Joints, Finest Nutrition (Walgreens) Glucosamine Chondroitin, GNC Triflex, Joint Juice Easy Shot, Kirkland Signature (Costco) Glucosamine HCl MSM, MD Formulas Hawaii JointAstin, Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club) Glucosamine Chondroitin, Metagenics ChondroCare, Nature Made Triple Flex, Now Glucosamine & MSM, Osteo Bi-Flex, Piping Rock Chondroitin Sulfate, Puritan’s Pride Joint Soother, Rexall Glucosamine HCI with MSM, Schiff Move Free, Solgar No. 7, Spring Valley (Walmart) Glucosamine Chondroitin Soft Chews, Swanson Chondroitin Sulfate, Trigosamine Max Strength, USANA Procosa, Vitacost 5-Loxin, Vitacost 5-Loxin, Vitamin World Joint Soother, Webber Naturals Glucosamine & Chondroitin Sulfate, and Wellesse Joint Movement Glucosamine.
 
The Product Review of Joint Supplements for Dogs and Cats is also available online in a separate report and provides test results for the following six products: Cosequin Joint Health Supplement for Cats, Cosequin Professional DS Line Maximum Strength Plus MSM, Joint Max Liquid for Cats, K-10+ Glucosamine, Nutra Paws Osteo-Pets and VetriScience GlycoFlex.
 
The reports also review the clinical evidence, dosing, forms, and potential side effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, Boswellia, and MSM.